Weston McKennie: We really want to react positively now

Weston McKennie on …

… the big defeat against Bayern Munich:

The 5-0 loss hurt, such a heavy defeat hurts every team. Nothing seemed to go our way in that game. We have to learn from it if we’re going to be brave against such strong opponents in the future. The coaching always team helps us to look ahead again though. The team spirit is so high still, and we keep it that way, which is an immense strength of ours. Everyone supports each other in the team, even if someone makes a mistake. It is important to check this game off after two days at the latest, because we still have a long season ahead of us. We really want to react positively now.

… the upcoming games with Hertha BSC:

We will do a video analysis and see what strengths and weaknesses they have. It will be two difficult games for us, but we are going into these games with momentum and hopefully we will have two wins.

… how he feels following his recovery from a shoulder injury:

I feel good. I fell on my shoulder in the game against Bayern, but I supported myself and nothing happened. I will play with protective equipment in the next few games. After a while you get used to it and you don’t even notice that it’s there at all. I hope that I will be used to it against Hertha.

… the sudden death of his fellow countryman Kobe Bryant:

I was shocked when I saw the message on my phone and thought it couldn’t be true. He gave everything during his basketball career and now was the time to really enjoy his life after an active career with his family. This misfortune shows that life is short and you never know when it will end. Kobe has done a lot for the whole sport. He was a role model not only as an athlete, but above all as a person.